Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill and Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine Vladimir served the prayer of supplication at Vladimir Hill, where is the monument to Prince Vladimir, the Baptizer of Rus'.

Many citizens of Kiev and pilgrims assembled at Vladimir Hill and in the vicinity welcomed the primate of the Russian Orthodox Church and participants of the celebration of the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Russia. Primates and representatives of all Local Orthodox Churches, who came to the celebration, clergy from Belarus, Moldavia, Russia, Ukraine and other countries prayed during the service of supplication, served in front of the icon of Saint Vladimir and the coffin with the particle of his holy relics. At the prayer service there were also President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych, President of Moldavia Nikolay Timofti, President of Serbia Tomislav Nikolic, members of the Government of Ukraine and other state officials.

On 26 July 2013 in the evening, His Holiness Irinej, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, along with primates and delegations of the Local Orthodox Churches came to Kiev to celebrate the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Russia. The cross of Holy Apostle Andrew the First Called also arrived in a special coach, which was brought on this occasion from Greece.

Patriarch Kirill with guests was formally welcomed at the train station by His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev and All Russia with clergy and monks. The high guests then went to the Kiev Monastery of the Caves. The cross of the Holy Apostle Andrew was brought inside the cathedral church of this monastery with the sounds of the bells and placed at the altar. In front of this great shrine the prayer of supplication was served.

Russian President Vladimir V. Putin met at the Grand Kremlin Palace yesterday, on 25 July 2013, with His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and primates and representatives of Local Orthodox Churches who came to Moscow for the celebrations marking the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Russia.

Participating in the meeting were Pope and Patriarch Theodore of Alexandria and All Africa, Patriarch Theophilos III of the Holy City of Jerusalem and All Palestine, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, Catholicos-Patriarch Iliya III of All Georgia, Patriarch Irinej of Serbia, Patriarch Neophyte of Bulgaria, Archbishop Chrisostomos II of New Justiniana and All Cyprus, Metropolitan Sava of Warsaw and All Poland, Metropolitan Tikhon of All America and Canada, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external church relations, and heads of the delegations of the Orthodox Churches of Constantinople, Antioch, Romania, Greece, Albania, and the Czech Lands and Slovakia.

Heads and representatives of the local Orthodox Churches, who are assembled in Moscow for the celebration of the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Russia, made a joint statement, which text was presented to Russian President Vladimir Putin by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia in Kremlin on 24 July 2013.

We, heads and representatives of the Local Orthodox Churches, who have come to Moscow on the occasion of the celebration of the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Russia at the invitation of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, consider it our duty to raise our voice in defense of our Christian brothers subjected to persecution for their faith in various parts of the world today.

On 24 July 2013, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia met with a delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate which arrived in Moscow to participate in the celebration of the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus.

The delegation consists of Metropolitan Emmanuel of France; archimandrite Bartholomew (Samaras), secretary general of the Holy and Sacred Synod; and archimandrite Bessarion (Komzias), director of the Patriarchal library.